Plant-Based Approaches for a Healthy Gut
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Plant-Based Approaches for a Healthy Gut
Improve Your Gut Microbiome with a Plant-Based Diet
Image by Monika Grabkowska via Unsplash
With so many aspects that go into maintaining a healthy lifestyle, gut health is a step that's often overlooked. The gut plays a crucial role in your overall health and wellness plans, and has the ability to completely shift your wellbeing levels. The main focus on gut health is the gut microbiome, a collection of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that aid in the food digestion process.
At Abbot’s Butcher, our products were founded on the basis of improving gut health and crafting a robust microbiome. With plant-based proteins crafted from clean and filling ingredients, our proteins fit right into any cleansing diet. If you’re eating plant-based now, or are slowly shifting your routine to include more plant-based substitutions, you’re already taking steps to improve your digestion.
Plant-Based vs. Carnivorous Diets
Plant-based lifestyles have been shown to significantly alter the gut microbiome and reduce levels of bad bacteria that increases your risk of disease. That’s mainly because typical plant-based meals include hearty amounts of fruits and vegetables, which are the best sources of fiber. Compared to a carnivorous diet, a plant-based routine contains a far greater amount of fiber, which aids in digestion.
As a result, those who follow vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diets have much faster digestion speeds than people who eat meat. In fact, fibrous fruits and vegetables are significantly more efficient; it can take up to two days for meat and fish to fully digest, whereas plants and veggies take less than a day.
One contribution to this delay is the amount of fat that carnivores versus plant-based eaters consume. Animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs typically have a higher volume of fat. This takes a long time to break down, which causes more strain on the digestive system and results in a lengthier overall digestion time.
That’s why a plant-based diet can be a crucial cleanse for your digestive system. You might not realize you need it, but a cleanse can give your digestive system a break and allow it to properly process nutrients.
Promoting Cleansing Through Natural Foods
If you’re looking to create a meal plan that includes foods that aid in gut health, many experts recommend plant-based as the way to go.There are other cleanses and detoxes that yield similar effects, but a plant-based diet incorporates more than just gut health, while also still keeping all the benefits.
Even if you’re not fully switching to a plant-based diet, here are a few suggestions for foods that promote a healthy digestive tract:
Bananas: Bananas are hearty, rich fruits that are full of fiber. They’re also full of potassium and perfect for a quick snack or to use in a cleansing smoothie.
Oats: Oats and other healthy grains are also high in fiber, and also contain prebiotics, which serves as substantial food for the microorganisms in your gut. Prebiotics can support the growth of healthy bacteria, which your gut needs to properly maintain itself.
Seaweed: Seaweed is another prebiotic-rich suggestion. It’s low in calories but high in flavor, and also helps your gut with a great mixture of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Trendy detoxes are becoming more popular, but a plant-based diet already ensures you’re flushing out unwanted toxins and keeping your friendly bacteria happy. Detoxes are usually advertised as two or three-day juice cleanses that immediately flush everything bad out, while keeping the good nutrients in. While a juice cleanse will definitely give you a good amount of fiber from fruits and veggies, you’ll miss out on proteins and other macronutrients that are essential to your daily functioning.
In addition to cutting out animal products and substituting plant-based options, another impactful step you can take to protect your gut microbiome is eliminating overprocessed foods. For example, if your diet consists of a high amount of refined sugar, chances are your gut won’t react well. A high volume of refined sugar can even decrease the healthy bacteria that live there. Highly processed oils like canola oil and soybean oil also contribute to an unhealthy gut, and can cause inflammation leading to a wide variety of unwanted health issues.
You might not even recognize that your gut microbiome is suffering—common symptoms like an upset stomach or bad quality sleep can be linked to gut health problems, so it’s important to recognize how much of your wellness is actually affected by your gut. A strong gut can help fight inflammation, increase heart health and improve weight loss.
By cutting back on meat or including more plant-based ingredients into your wellness patterns, you’re already taking strides to protect your gut. The digestive system is a complex structure, but by understanding its role and importance, you can power up your wellbeing and lead a healthier lifestyle.